The Molecular Medicine Ireland (MMI) Clinician Scientist Structured PhD Curriculum has been launched on a pilot basis with access via a secure web portal (http://www.molecularmedicineireland.ie/page/g/s/89).
In this pilot phase, a number of medical graduate students and their PhD research supervisors based in each MMI partner institution are invited to use the curriculum web portal and provide feedback. The portal is offered as a resource that gathers information on graduate education modules of particular relevance to clinician scientist trainees.
It will be used to identify structured training that medical graduate students may wish to pursue in consultation with their research supervisors, and as part of existing institutional requirements with respect to module attendance and credits. Students and supervisors may also identify modules taking place in other institutions that may be of interest.
In total there are currently 69 graduate education modules available through the portal, provided by all the MMI partner institutions to address the topics of this particular curriculum.
Professor Bill Powderly (Head of the UCD School of Medicine & Medical Science, Chief Academic Officer of Dublin Academic Medical Centre and Director of MMI) commented that the "This is an exciting new resource that demonstrates the importance the MMI partners attach to the training of clinician scientists in Ireland. It is hoped that mainstreaming this key element of the PRTLI Cycle 4 funded MMI Clinician Scientist Fellowship Programme will lead to further strategic investment in clinician scientist training so that the gains of recent years are maintained".
The intention is that the curriculum will offer key elements for a tailored structured PhD programme to be developed in clinical and translational research, undertaken by medical graduates in the medical schools of the MMI partner institutions: NUI Galway, RCSI, TCD, UCC and UCD.
